The Dark Shadow Shrine

embrace the darkness; that you may see the light nestled within it......

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Online 'CSI' vigilantes: The good, the bad and the ugly

Click HERE

One of the good things about the new media is that we can use it to redress injustice and discourage undesirable behaviour by shaming those people guilty of it...Think recent incidents involving an old man sexually harassing a young Caucasian on the MRT, and the latest one on a middle-aged couple bullying an old man at Toa Payoh Hawker Centre by 'choping' a seat using an umbrella....In both cases, the police stepped in to arrest the people concerned.....This is testimony to the power of the social media, where once something goes viral online, sufficient public pressure is accumulated that forces the authorities to intervene. This is particularly important in places where the law is not effective in curbing the public behaviour or the police/court is corrupt. Once people lose faith in the law, they may be compelled to take the law into their own hands, giving rise to online vigilantism...

But this can backfire sometimes...as mentioned in the article, sometimes, the wrongdoer identified is actually the wrong one. This can lead to an innocent person being persecuted....